Cobra Darkspeed LS Fairway Wood Review

WATCH: We test and compare the best fairway woods on the market in 2024

The highly-anticipated Cobra Darkspeed range is here and my word, it boasts some good-looking sticks. The black on black head design with subtle changes between gloss and matte details give this range a premium look, but does the performance match? Without meaning to jump straight to the point (a resounding yes) it's worth pointing out there are three fairway wood models in the family, but it was the Darkspeed LS model that really caught my eye and put on the best show in testing.

The LS model is the lower launching and spinning model in the Darkspeed range, followed by the Darkspeed X - a head designed for a blend of power and forgiveness, suitable for the majority of golfers and the Max - a more forgiving head option with additional weight towards the heel to promote a draw-bias shot shape and making it one of the best fairway woods for high handicappers.

As a faster swinger of a golf club, I was naturally drawn to the LS when the three models arrived. The Darkspeed LS head appears slightly more compact and smaller behind the ball compared the X and Max models, something that more confident ball strikers will love and some of the rear detailing on the crown has been removed on the LS to give it that more traditional looking crown. The crown itself is made from the same high-grade carbon fiber found on the other two models and this has allowed weight to be saved and redistributed to place the CG 3.2mm lower than the previous Aerojet LS fairway wood model. I do think the Darkspeed LS fairway wood certainly will give any of the other best fairway woods on the market a run when it comes to looks.

The titanium body and H.O.T face technology allows for fast ball speeds off what feels like a very agile face, while offering plenty of forgiveness on shots struck towards the heel and toe. That said, if a forgiving fairway wood is what you seek then the Max and X models would be more prudent choices. 

When testing, this fairway wood was exceptional off the tee, producing a penetrating, mid-launching ball flight that still found the fairway more often than not. It was a little tricky to launch from the fairway for those with less speed and it did struggle to produce enough spin to really get the ball up in the air when hitting from the first cut of rough.

The head has a standard loft of 14.5°, so half a degree lower than a traditional fairway wood loft, something that also helps keep the launch a little lower. The Darkspeed has two 15g weight ports situated toward the front of the head and a 3g weight towards the back which can be used to help dial in trajectory and desired ball flights. With minimal offset on the LS fairway wood, I found moving the ball both ways fairly easy and while the feel of the ball felt powerful, I would say the sound was a little higher pitched than I would have liked. 

When testing indoors on a Trackman 4 launch monitor and using Titleist Pro V1 golf balls, I saw ball speeds creep up to 159mph and spin around the 2700rpm mark - around 1500rpm lower than the Darkspeed Max fairway wood.

The Cobra Darkspeed LS fairway is a low-spinning three wood that boasts distance and a flatter, powerful ball flight. It is ideal for those with plenty of club speed in the locker who like working the ball at different trajectories and would suit golfers who want an alternative club to hit from the tee away when the driver is misbehaving.

The Cobra Darkspeed LS fairway wood will come to retail at $429 and will be available to purchase in February 2024.